As part of the “Waking the Vatican” tour, one can enjoy the Sistine Chapel with a few dozen other visitors. This is a marvelous experience, seeing the work of Michaelangelo in an almost private moment. As large as the chapel is, it does feel private. Here’s a video showing the chapel.
Amazing. Seriously. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend this experience. Do your homework about the art and history of the place in order to get the most out of it. Linger as long as possible.
The Hall of Maps is surely one of the highlights of the Vatican Museum. During the “Waking the Vatican” tour, a visitor has the privilege of standing in the darkness as the key master switches on the lights. Here’s a video showing our reaction:
It was an impressive experience. Of course, once your eyes adjust to the light the maps are easy to see and brilliant renditions for the time they were created. This tour is worth every cent. I’ll post photos showing some of the maps at a later date.
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